Iceland U17 secured a 3-1 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina U17 in their UEFA Under-17 Championship qualification group stage match on Friday. The result leaves both sides level on three points after three games, though Iceland sit above their visitors on goal difference. By then, the hosts had already established a rhythm they refused to relinquish.
H. Musanovic opened the scoring in the seventeenth minute, finding the net with a composed finish that caught the defence flat-footed. B. Gardarsson doubled the lead just before the half-hour mark, and here's the thing — it was the kind of goal that sets the tone for a match. Bosnia pulled one back late in the second period, but the hosts were already in control of the tie.
S. Gislason came on at the interval as Iceland switched to a more attacking approach. The change had an immediate effect, with Gardarsson extending the lead in the seventy-second minute to all but settle the contest. To be fair, Bosnia had their moments, but they lacked the penetration when it mattered most.
O. S. Thordarson added a fourth goal in the eighty-eighth minute, completing a match that had swung between tension and calm. Substitutions were frequent on both sides — Bajic and Trivunovic came on for Bosnia in the sixty-fourth minute, while Brynjarsson and Musanovic were exchanged for Iceland in the seventy-first.
S. Vidarsson picked up a yellow card in stoppage time, the only booking of the match. It was a minor detail in what was otherwise a straightforward afternoon for the hosts, who had taken their chances when they came.
The result means Iceland remain at the top of the group standings, while Bosnia's qualification hopes have taken a knock. Both teams have played three matches now, and the gap between them is clear — three points versus one. The old head settled things down for Iceland, and by then, the visitors had no answer.
